The idea of getting a bunch of car dealers to go homeless for one November night came up at a Detroit Auto Dealers Association meeting in August.

Not the kind of agenda item normally discussed at professional association meetings, it had been raised by Sam Slaughter, the owner of a string of area dealerships and the DADA vice president (and soon to be president).

"We looked at him like he was totally crazy," said Scott LaRiche, vice president and executive manager at Lou LaRiche Chevrolet in Plymouth Township and a DADA board member.

Then Slaughter told them about Covenant House Michigan, a Detroit-based organization that provides shelter, food, education and life skills to homeless young people. The Sleep Out, held in Detroit and 14 other cities in North America that have Covenant House facilities, was designed to raise money for the organization.

"After we heard that, it was a no-brainer," LaRiche said. "Everybody signed up and we started raising funds."

Slaughter, LaRiche and around 10 other DADA members joined about other 30 professionals Nov. 20 for the Sleep Out on the grounds of Covenant House Michigan, on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard near I-96. They bedded down around 11 p.m. and got up between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m.

"It was a real eye-opener for me," said LaRiche, who estimated he got maybe 90 minutes of sleep.

LaRiche was bundled up and in a sleeping bag, lying in a cardboard box, but that was no match for temperatures that, with the wind chill, dipped to around zero. There were also occasional interruptions by Covenant House staffers, asking participants if they wanted to go to the warming center, as they do when they see the real homeless. (LaRiche did not take them up on it.)

LaRiche left his box at around 5:30 a.m., exhausted.

"I cannot imagine having to do that two, three, four, five nights in a row, a month in a row," he said.

And LaRiche acknowledges he and fellow Sleep Out participants had it comparatively easy: They were secure on the Covenant House grounds, knew where their breakfast was coming from and had the chance to take a hot shower and maybe a nap before heading to work.

"Going through what I went through for one night is hardly anything compared to what they (homeless youths) have to do on a daily basis," he said.

The experience was especially meaningful in light of the coming Thanksgiving, he said the day before the holiday.

"Every single year we talk about, 'What are you thankful for?'" LaRiche said. "I'm going to be able to think of a lot of things I'm thankful for."

DADA members raised about $78,000 in pledges through their participation, including some $6,875 from LaRiche. In total, the first Detroit Sleep Out raised more than $210,000, easily surpassing the goal of $150,000.

LaRiche and other Sleep Out participants also got to look around Covenant House Michigan, attend a candlelight vigil, talk to staff members and meet two of the young people being helped by the program.

"There's actually a place that is helping people become productive members of society," he said. "It is absolutely amazing."

On any given night, according to Covenant House Michigan, there are more than 5,000 homeless youths in the state.

Donations to Covenant House Michigan can be made via this website. Mail can be sent to: Covenant House Michigan, 2959 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard., Detroit, MI 48208.

mjachman@hometownlife.com | 734-678-8432 Twitter: @mattjachman

Scott LaRiche took this selfie Nov. 21 upon getting up from a night spent outside to raise money for Covenant House Michigan. “I cannot imagine having to do that two, three, four, five nights in a row, a month in a row,” he said.(Photo: Scott LaRiche)